Flanges are common in a number of industries such as, but not limited to, the pipe industry or the oil and gas industry. Some flanges may have a flat face where both the gasket surface and the bolting circle surface are on the same plane. Some flanges may have a raised face (RF) for receiving gaskets. A flange may have an inside diameter (ID) that is specific to a size (e.g. sizes according to ASME B16.5 or ASME B16.47 standard). A flange may be further classified based on pressure according to a given industry standard (e.g. ANSI/ASME pressure classes).
Flanges may experience various kinds of damage during the process of fabrication, production, assembly, or transportation to a final destination. In particular, flanges with a raised surface or protruding members on one or both sides may be especially vulnerable to scratches, chips, pits, dents, gauges or other kinds of damage. It is often desirable to shield flanges from harm during various stages such as assembly, transportation, fabrication and so on. Protection of flanges and flange faces can be important to ensure proper downstream manufacturing such as bolting, sealing (e.g. with a gasket), piping, fabrication, and so on.
There thus exists a need for improved flange protection means to help reduce or eliminate damage to flanges, for example during the process of fabrication, production, assembly, or transportation to final destination.